Student Employment Week: Developing real-world skills at school
From left: Students Farzeen Shaikh, Emma Blough, Anthony Quidachay, and Lirit Gilmore
Students at Chatham University aren’t just learning in the classroom. Many of them develop hands-on, real-world skills by working on campus. They are not only a key part of the university’s workforce, but they also have the opportunity to earn money while still staying close to their classes and residence halls.
Chatham’s marketing department depends on its student employees to provide an authentic view into the undergraduate experience at Chatham, whether they’re filming Instagram Reels in the Anderson Dining Hall or designing graphics seen on posters all around campus.
For Student Employment Week, which is observed during the second week of April, Pulse@ChathamU talked to a few of student workers in the marketing department about their experiences. These interviews have been edited for clarity and brevity.
Why did you decide to work on campus?
Anthony Quidachay ’24, digital media ambassador: I applied for a couple different positions, but I knew I wanted an on-campus job just to make some money. But I am a marketing major, and I am really passionate about social media, and that’s the field I want to get into. When I saw this position, I was very intrigued because not only did it give me an opportunity to conveniently work on campus, but it’s also something that would develop my skills for a job in the future.
Farzeen Shaikh ’25, digital media ambassador: I like the flexibility, because when you work on campus, people are a lot more flexible about the fact that you’re a student. The schedules are much nicer, and you kind of give back to your community here. You get to work closely with students and give your perspective as a student.
Lirit Gilmore ‘24, digital content creator: I was interested in pursuing a part time writing job, and I liked the idea of working in marketing in addition to my major as a Creative Writer.
What do you like best about being a student employee?
Anthony Quidachay: For me, I have a really unique position, because I have an opportunity to create content that represents the school.
Emma Blough ’23, communications intern: I do enjoy what I’m doing for the social side. I really like drawing and painting, but I’ve never had the opportunity to be commissioned to do something. It was cool to have somebody ask me to do something artistic for them.
Farzeen Shaikh: I gain actually meaningful experiences here at Chatham. It’s given me a much more valuable experience for my resume, because it teaches me more things that I can apply in real life and in my school projects. It’s genuinely a really big value add on my resume to be working with so many different things and polishing the different skills that I have.
What have you learned while being a student employee?
Farzeen Shaikh: A lot of things. To manage my time. A lot of social media stuff, how to figure out stats on social media, writing, coming up with ideas for Instagram and social media.
Anthony Quidachay: The basic ins and outs of how to run a social media account. I’ve been able to learn a lot in that field, and I think it’s a really rare opportunity that someone my age gets to have that kind of experience.
Emma Blough: What it’s like to design something that’s actually going to be used instead of just thrown into your portfolio. Learning how to take feedback and not take it personally, you can’t learn that kind of stuff in the classroom.
Lirit Gilmore: I have learned a lot about communication and how beneficial feedback can be. I get a lot of great notes and ideas from the people I work with, and that’s a really transferable skill.
What advice would you give to students who are thinking about working on campus?
Anthony Quidachay: This position is unique in comparison to a lot of other positions. But I think there’s a lot of great things about being a student worker, not just for the convenience, but you make a lot of different connections, because the Chatham community is really close.
Farzeen Shaikh: Chatham in general has a lot of good student employment options. I want to minor in marketing, so I’m in the marketing in communications office. So I would just say, find your niche here and find a groove and what you’d actually like to add on your resume.
Lirit Gilmore: Finding other people who’ve worked where you are interested in working is also an important part of looking into the position. Look for a job related to your interests, it helps with the sustainability of the commitment.
For those looking to find work next semester, check Chatham University’s Handshake for opportunities on campus and beyond. You can also follow Chatham Career Development on Instagram for more information about jobs, internships, networking, and more.